Teat cup



L. DINESEN May 4, 1937.

TEAT CUP Filed Jan. 2, 1936 yPatented May 4, 1937 f UNITED STATES PATENT oFF-lcs 6 Claims.

My present invention provides an extremely simple and highly eillcient teat cup for use in connection with milking machines, and generally stated, it consists of the novel construction, com- 5 binaton and arrangement of parts, hereinafter described and dened in the claims. Particularly this invention relates to teat cups of the type generally designated as two-chambered teat cups. Teat cups of this type usually comprise a thin 10 metal outer shell and a flexible inner wall-forming tube of rubber, the said two chambers being provided with connections whereby they will, in practice, be alternately subjected to suction or partial vacuum, thereby alternately expanding l5 and contracting the elastic inner tube or wall.

' A A teat cup of the general type above stated is shown and claimed in my prior Patent No. 1,690,327 of date November 6, 1928, and entitled Teat cup; and the use of teat cups of the above 20 general type is illustrated in several of my prior patents such, for example, as Patent No. 1,858,266 of date May 17, 1932, and entitled Milking apparatus. Y.

In the older form of teat cup above discussed, a

25 squeezing action approximating that produced by the hand in hand milking is accomplished, but the downward pulling action which is produced by the hand has not been accomplished.

A commercial form of the improved teat cup is 30 illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein like characters indicate like parts through the several views.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the complete teat 35 Cup;

Fig. 2 is an axial section of the complete teat cup, some. parts being shown in full;

Fig. 3 isan elevation showing the inner tube of the teat cup removed from the outer shell; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3, portions thereof being broken away.

The drawing of this application illustrates what at the present time is considered a preferred form 45 of the invention. 'I'he metallic outer shell or casing 5 is shown as made from a thin metal tube. which, at one end, is shown as slightly outturned to form a joint rib 6, and at its other end is contracted to form an internally flangedv neck 50 l. Extended longitudinally of and secured to the exterior of the shell 5 is a small nipple-forming metal tube 8 that has communication with the interior of the shell 5 through suitable air passages 9.

55 A rubber inner wall-forming tube l0 iS located within the shell 5 and is the element that directly receives the teat. Thus tube I0, at its inner end, has a contracted neck II that is passed through and tightly ts the neck 'I of the shell 5 and serves to anchor the'teat-receiving inner tube at its base end to the base or end of the shell 5. 'I'he neck I I is shown as formed with small annular rib's I2 and with larger annular ribs I3 which serve to adjustably anchor the inner tube or teat cup proper to the shell.

As a highly important feature of the present invention, the outer end of the elastic inner tube l is directly connected to a rubber diaphragm I4 and this diaphragm is directly connected to a flexible outwardly and backwardly turned "accordion-acting pleat I that is formed with an internal annular stop rib I6' and a further backwardly extended annular joint ilange I1. 'I'he diaphragm Il is formed with a large axial passage I8 through which the teat will be freely inserted into the inner tube. and the rim around this opening will, of course, closely engage the teat. The inner tube and the elements Il. I5, I6 and I'I are preferably all cast integral, of very resilient vulcanized rubber.

When the elements of the teat cup are assembled as best shown in Fig. 2, the joint ange I I will be telescoped over -and tightly clamped around the outer shell, and the rib end 6 of the shell will be closely engaged with the stop rib I6. It is now important to particularly note that not only the diaphragm I4 but the accordion-acting pleat I5 is outward of the end of the shell 5, and that the outer end of the inner tube is extended well beyond the outer end of said outer shell and is directly attached to the diaphragm. The great importance of this relative arrangement of parts will be made clear from the description of the operation.

It will be noted that the accordion-acting pleat I5, in axial section, is externally convex and internally concave and that its concave interior extends considerably and materially, radially outward of the line of engagement of the shell rim 6 with the stop rib I 6, This feature is important for the following reason: when the annular chamber between the shell 5 and the elastic tube IIl is subjected to partial vacuum or suction, and the said tube III is radially expanded and axially contracted, not only the force of the downward pull of the tube I0. but the force of partial vacuum on the interior and atmospheric pressure on the exterior of the pleat I5 will cause said pleat to be collapsed axially and expanded radially, thereby facilitating the downward pull on the diaphragm I8, or otherwise stated. an upward pull on the shell 5.

Also, it is noted that the tubi` I0. at the point where it. joins with thc diaphragm I8. is outwardly expanded or bulged at I0. This bulge II!1 under the above noted action of partial vacuum or suction will bend bulge radially outward and materially assist the radial expansion and axial collapsing oi' the pleat I5.,

Furthermore, it is important to note that the inner rim of the diaphragm I8 projects a considerable distance inward from the bulge portion liln so that the flange that engages the teat is given very considerable flexibility.

In practice, the milk tube and hence the inierior of the ilexible inner wall of the teat cup will usually be subjected more or less constantly to a light suction or partial vacuum, while the chamber within the outer shell and around the inner tube will be alternately and intermittently subjected to atmospheric pressure and to a partial vacuum that is greater than the partial vacuum to which the interior of the flexible tube is subjected. Hence, when the outer chamber of the teat cup is subjected to atmospheric pressure, the inner tube will be more or less collapsed and pressed against the teat, and when said outer chamber is subjected to partial vacuum, the walls of said inner tube will be diametrically expanded. When the walls of the tube, by partial vacuum, are thus expanded, the accordion-acting pleat will be collapsed or contracted axially of the teat cup and the diaphragm will be drawn downward in respect to the anchored lower end of said inner tube, or otherwise stated, if the diaphragm be, as it will be, anchored on the teat, then this lateral -bulging and longitudinal contraction of the inner tube will have the effect of lifting the entire teat cup; and when this action takes place, it has the eect of producing a downward drawing action on the teat, which closely approximates the drawing and downward pulling action produced by the hand operation. When the outer chamber of the teat cup is subjected to atmospheric pressure and the inner tube contracted or collapsed, there will be a tendency of drawing downward on the diaphragm or lifting the teat cup, but this tendency will be offset to a very considerable extent, or possibly entirely, by the air pressure which tends to prevent the accordion-acting pleat from contracting axially of the teat cup.

It is now thought to be made apparent that the connecting of the outer end of the inner tube directly to the diaphragm and with the accordion-acting pleat or flexible connection between the diaphragm and the outer end of the outer shell is of the utmost importance in obtaining the above described combined squeezing and downward pulling action, which substantially or completely imitates the milking action produced by hand operation.

Obviously, when the interior of the inner tube is relieved from suction, at a time when the interior of said inner tube is subjected to suction or partial vacuum, the inner tube will assume its normal length or substantially that shown in Fig. 2.

The teat cup illustrated is not only more eilicient in its action and more agreeable to the cow, but the rubber elements thereof may be very readily cleaned and kept in sanitary con-v As a further comment. it may be stated that the outwardly bulged annular ange or accordion-acting pleat I5 is not collapsible radially of the tube, but is freely collapsiblel axially oi the tube, so as to adapt itself to shortening and lengthening axial movements of the tube III, due to expanding actions of the latter. and under which action, the downward and upward movements of the diaphragm are produced directly at the point of connection or junction between the inner tube and diaphragm.

In the use of these teat cups, they are connected in groups of four and under operation of the pulsator mechanism, the pulsating actions in two of the cups of the group will be alternated with the pulsating actions in the other two cups oi the group, so that the group will be held in position on the teats of the cow bythe action of suction or partial vacuum. However, the weight of the cups and connections will tend to keep the resilient inner tubes longitudinally stretched or iull length, except when the inner tubes are collapsed and shortened in effective length as above described.

From the foregoing it will be understood that the structure illustrated in the drawing and above specincally described, is capable of various changes as to details of construction and arrangement oi' parts within the scope of thefinvention herein disclosed and intended to be lapse axially when the exterior of the body of said tube is subjected to partial vacuum.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 in which said tube is radially expanded at its teat-receiving end, and said expanded portion joins said diaphragm radially outward of the teat-engaging rim of said diaphragm.

3. A teat cup comprising a rigid outer shell and a resilient inner tube, the latter having an axially open diaphragm directly joined to its teatreceiving end, said diaphragm having an outwardly and backwardly extended flexible tubular portion forming, adjacent to the diaphragm, an outwardly expanded accordion-acting axially collapsible pleat and a tubular joint flange, and between said joint iiange and pleat an inwardly projecting stop flange, said joint ange being telescoped over said shell with its stop ange en- 8881118 the rim of said shell, the said pleat being extended materially radially outward of the stopilange-engaging rim of said shell, said pleat being of such exibility that it will expand radially and collapse axially, when the exterior of the body of said tube is subjected to partial vacuum produced in the space between said tube and shell. the lower portion of said tube being connected to the lower portion of said shell, by an air-tight joint, and said shell having a connection for the production of partial vacuum within the same.

4. The structure deilned in claim 3 in which wardly and backwardly extended flexible tubusaid tube is radially expanded at its teat-receiving end, and said expanded portion joins said diaphragm radially outward of the teat-engaging rim of said diaphragm.

5. A resilient teat cup inner tube having an axially open diaphragm directly joined to its teat-receiving end, said diaphragm having an outwardly and backwardly extended flexible tubular portion forming, adjacent to said diaphragm, an outwardly expanded accordion-acting axially collapsible pleat and a tubular joint flange, said pleat being projected materially radially outward of said joint flange, said pleat being of such flexibility that it will expand radially and collapse laterally when the exterior of the body of said tube is subjected to partial vacuum.

6. A teat cup comprising a rigid outer shell and a resilient inner tube, the latter having an axially open diaphragm directly joined to its teat-receiving end. said diaphragm having an outlar portion forming, adjacent to said diaphragm, an outwardly expanded accordion-acting axially collapsible pleat and a tubular joint ange, said joint ilange being telescoped over said shell, but terminating short of said pleat, said pleat being extended materially radially outward of said joint flange and said pleat being of such flexibility that it will expand radially and collapse axially, when the exterior of the body of said tube is subjected to partial vacuum produced in the space between said tube and shell, the lower portion of said tube being connected to the lower portion of said shell, the lower portion of said tube being connected to the lower portion of said shell, by an air-tight joint, said shell having a connection for the production of partial vacuum within the same.

LAURITS DINESEN. 

